Both mobile homes and vacation homes have enjoyed an increase in popularity over the last ten to fifteen years. As might be expected, both types of homes have advantages as well as disadvantages. The mobile home provides a spontaneous mobility and is relatively inexpensive while the vacation home provides the owner with a relatively spacious and quietly removed retreat for vacations as well as intermittent weekends. The disadvantages of the mobile home involve the rather cramped general living quarters and the question of availability of space at campsites for such homes. The disadvantages of the normal vacation home involve principally cost of construction and maintenance. In this latter category, a disproportionately large amount is paid for plumbing, bathroom facilities and kitchen facilities. Approximately twenty-five to thirty-five percent of a home is dedicated to these necessities.
While the mobile home may be hitched to a vehicle and carted away at the owner's whim, the vacation home, especially in severe winter conditions when intermittently used, must have its pipes drained when it is not occupied or be subject to increased heating costs due to a necessity for keeping the heating on in order to prevent the freezing of the pipes contained therein. With heating costs having skyrocketed in the last few years, this option is available only to those few who can afford two heating bills. Consequently, most vacation homeowners with houses located in areas with freezing or subfreezing temperatures have opted for the drainage and restart program upon leaving and again arriving, respectively.